Institute for Justice

Doug and Mary Ketchum

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Article | Institute for Justice

Doug and Mary Ketchum are joined by their daughter, Stacie, outside of their Memphis liquor store, Kimbrough Wine & Spirits. The Ketchums are challenging Tennessee’s anticompetitive licensing law that blocks their ability to own a liquor store because they are newcomers to the state. (Photo by Karen Pulfer Focht, www.karenpulferfocht.com)

Doug and Mary Ketchum had no choice but to move out of Utah. Their 32-year-old daughter, Stacie, suffers from cerebral palsy and one of her lungs collapsed when a temperature inversion in the Salt Lake valley severely worsened the air quality there. To save Stacie’s life, they had to find another place to live.

The Ketchums moved to Tennessee because they learned of a rare opportunity to purchase an historic liquor store called Kimbrough Towers Fine Wine. The store was frequented by legends like Johnny Cash, who used to record in Sun Studio, just a mile-and-a-half down the road. Becoming business owners would offer the Ketchums the flexibility necessary to spend as much time as they need to care for their daughter during the precious remaining years they have left together. In addition, it would supply them with a stable income to provide for themselves and their family.

In July 2016, about two months after they applied for the retail liquor license with the Tennessee Alcoholic Beverage Commission, the Ketchums left Utah behind and moved to Tennessee.

Can States Bar Newcomers from Owning a Business?

Doug and Mary Ketchum moved to Tennessee so they could own and operate a mom-and-pop liquor store there. Doing so would enable them to meet their two main goals: earning a living and doing so in a way that gives them the flexible schedule they need to take care of their severely disabled and ailing…